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Thursday, June 6, 2013

I haven't talked about my love for Science Fiction on this blog too much, but I love me a good science fiction novel, short story, or television show. The weird and wonderful difference between fantasy and science fiction (in my opinion) is that sci-fi translates so much better on screen. Even high budget fantasy shows like Game of Thrones (which I love) or the Harry Potter films have a hard time comparing to the magic that comes to reading the novel. And while I can't really think of any original fantasy television series that I've come across and truly loved, there are many original science fiction shows that hooked me right from the start. Doctor Who is one of them. Unsurprising for a show that's lasted 50 years and has lines like the one above ("Space Gandalf"!-I mean, what's not to love?).

There are so many things to be said about Doctor Who. If you've been watching this latest season, you might be interested in checking out one of my favorite blogs for literary and film analysis, Raving Sanity, a blog which also happens to be run by one of my fellow Mythgard students, Katherine Sas. There are some really insightful thoughts on the latest episodes of both Doctor Who and Game of Thrones. Often my mind is boggled after watching a new episode, but somehow Katherine's able to say everything I was thinking and more. Plus, my brother, the truest Doctor Who connoisseur I know, told me he won a Who argument by having read one of her posts :)

This all brings me to the latest project concerning Doctor Who that I'm happy to help promote, a podcast called the Kat & Curt TV Re-View . It's run by Katherine and yet another fellow Mythgard student, Curtis Weyant. As I already mentioned, Kat is a big fan of New Who (the 2005 Doctor Who series and beyond) and Curtis is our Joss Whedon expert, currently preparing to present a paper at the "Joss in June" conference later this month. So the podcast will be an entire re-watching of both Doctor Who and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Buffy is one of those original fantasy series I know I should like, but just haven't given a proper chance. I'm hoping that will change as I listen in on the podcast. Curtis, a long time Buffy fan will explore the series episode by episode with Kat, who will be experiencing the show for the first time. Likewise, Kat will guide Curtis, who has never seen an episode of Doctor Who, through the episodes of New Who:

Join us for our journey through time, space, and the halls of Sunnydale High as we battle demons, aliens, and the inscrutable process of creating quality narrative television. Whether you’re new to these ‘verses or are looking to fall in love with them all over again, we invite you to watch the shows along with us and join us in the comments to continue and deepen the discussion. Allons-y!

The first episode is up now. Discussion points in this introductory episode include:

The history of the two shows

Why you shouldn't feel guilty about starting your Doctor Who experience with the 2005 series

The writing connection between Who and Buffy

Why the name 'Buffy' anyway?

Technobabble and the blur between fantasy and science fiction.

Enjoy!!

P.S. I can't have you leave without showing you my favorite Doctor speech from this season. It's from the end of the episode Rings of Akhaten (so, episode specific/light spoiler if you watch). You can watch it here. Chills.